YAC Leader Training – Treasure
In February 2026 several of our YAC leaders joined us at the Museum of Liverpool for an exciting training event on the theme of ‘Treasure’. Read on to find out more about what we learnt at this inspiring training session and explore our new resource pack, packed full of information, resources and activities for exploring the role of the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the process of recording artefacts found by members of the public.
Hosted by Vanessa Oakden, Curator of Regional and Community Archaeology (& Mersey and Dee YAC leader) and Heather Beeton, Finds Liaison Officer for Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, this training explored what Treasure (with a capital ‘T’!) actually is and what it can tell us about people in the past. We learnt about examples of best practice and heritage crime and how archaeology and our approach to Treasure has changed over time. Getting to grips with the legal definition of Treasure under the 1996 Treasure Act and it’s most recent revision in 2023, we learnt what officially constitutes Treasure in the UK and the role of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in recording objects discovered by members of the public on its database.
The Museum of Liverpool has been celebrating objects recorded under the Treasure Act 1996 and the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in their fabulous temporary exhibition Treasure: History Unearthed. Our tour of the exhibition with Vanessa and Heather highlighted some key examples of Treasure and ideas of how to engage YAC members with the themes and ideas raised by the exhibition. We explored how Treasure can tell personal stories of people in the past, record significant historical events and challenge our biases through a thoughtfully curated selection of artefacts from the north-west of England and Wales.
– the Mold Gold Cape!
Vanessa and Heather than shared some activities they have developed to disseminate the subject of Treasure and the role of the Portable Antiquities Scheme to young people. We all joined in with a fun ‘Treasure or Not Treasure?’ card game they developed and had a go at taking on the role of a Finds Liaison Officer to record artefacts. Finally, we got stuck in with some craft activities tried and tested by Mersey and Dee YAC to help young people recreate different types of hoard containers and explore the people behind the Treasure artefacts.
Resources provided by Vanessa and Heather have helped us to update and expand our bumper YAC resource pack on Treasure and Portable Antiquities Scheme, first developed with the PAS in 2020. The pack includes a slideshow for use in workshops and sessions with young people, plus lots of useful information and discussion points for YAC leaders on the role of the PAS, how to use the PAS database and the process of recording finds.
Click here to view our brand-new Treasure and Portable Antiquities Scheme Resource Pack!
We also have 8 different activities you can deliver with young people, including toolkits for debate and research tasks, quizzes and craft inspiration.
Explore the PAS database and have fun searching for some intriguing mystery objects online with the Portable Antiquities Scheme Scanvenger Hunt activity! Or, challenge young archaeologists to Become a Finds Liaison Officer and identify and record finds!
Treasure: History Unearthed is open at the Museum of Liverpool until 29th March 2026. Find out more and book tickets: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/museum-of-liverpool/exhibition/treasure-history-unearthed